A Warrior In Her Bloodline
by Naktarra
Summary: There are insults, there are territories and there are warrior cats. Challenging the authority of StarClan, Sagepool has all clans turned to her for explanation of terrible and mysterious occurrences. With Whitewillow at her side, they must search for the true implications of StarClan and why the DawnClan medicine cat never received dreams from the ancients.
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: This is something I've been working on for a little while and I'm curious to see how it goes in the end. It's fun to write and I thought this was at least a nice little introductory chapter as I get use to the weird feeling of writing somewhat like Erin Hunter. I find she has a very simplistic and repetitive writing style that's definitely interesting to work with. In short, I have to put a lot into editing to make sure the repetition doesn't sound dumb. This _will_ be continued and if it is to be finished is something that only time can tell.

A Warrior In Her Bloodline

**One**

She had many duties for her own clan. Many she had but she rarely had to do. Most of the time she found her life shared an emptiness which required her to simply organize her diminished herb pile. The clan was healthy and that was something to be proud of. Still, Sagepool couldn't help wondering if the repetitive days were just getting longer as the territories bloomed into newleaf.

At the moment, she had her paws over her eyes and she was trying to sleep. A million cats were drumming over her head in the excitement of the early dawn. As a tradition that the warriors upheld to avoid the hot rays, she had to respect the fact that the other warriors could be so energetic in the morning. As a medicine cat, she hated being thrown from her peaceful slumber as the seasons changed.

She sat up and found through the twisted and broken branches of the entrance of her den, it was much too early for the average medicine cat to be prowling about. She had only an elder to check and he promised he would personally claw her ears off if she dared to wake him early in the morning. So in spirit of the fact she liked her ears, she decided to sit and wait.

However it suddenly it dawned on her that the leader of the clan could sleep through nearly everything and she made her way out of her den. At least she would have someone to talk to for the meantime. After that, she might even find any remaining warrior in the camp to join her in her endeavours to find some more herbs. She didn't like leaving the camp by herself.

The camp was narrow, but cozy. It always smelled warm even in hard leaf-bares which regularly took the clan. Her den was the closest to the entrance for injury reason. Next to her, the elder's den so they were closest to a small little stream of water that ran off of the clans' main river. After that the warriors and apprentices shared a very closely knit and ancient bushes. Finally the queen's den, which was only being occupied by the first-time mother, Sunnypelt and her three kits.

Sagepool crossed the camp towards the leader's den. A tall tree that twisted and bulged with age that bowed down into a cozy little hideout for the clan's most important cat: Brindlestar. For a den which could usually fit more than one cat at it at a time, Brindlestar took up the entire space. Rumoured as a kit he could hardly get around on his massive paws, he definitely grew into them.

She spotted his tail sticking out from his den's entrance and she purred. Angling herself to cock her head to see his chest peacefully rising and falling, she saw his tail suddenly swish. She placed a paw on it and angled another paw forward to jab him in the side.

"Brindlestar," She purred, "The patrols have left already."

The chocolate leader stirred in his sleep and yawned. She couldn't quite make out his face as all she got was a view of his back and tail. He moved to sit up and let out a massive yowl. She quickly took her paw away from his tail and backed up.

"Sagepool, what's the idea of waking me up like that?" He backed out of his den and stumbled to turn around as if expecting his tail to be gone.

He huffed at her and raised a paw, batting her on the nose. "Even in the warm weather you wont let me sleep. I thought since we did so well you would let me have at least another few heartbeats."

"Don't blame me," She purred, "You're the one who forgets the traditions of our clan. You know as well as I do that the warriors and apprentices are suppose to be out of camp hunting and patrolling for misfits."

He nodded with guilt, "If StarClan would allow me I would make it mandatory for every-cat to sleep for a moon—every moon."

She turned and started towards her den and he followed, easily passing her with his confident strides. In reputation with the rest of the forest, his booming bark and being the large tom he was made him the perfect protector of the clan. He could strike fear into any cat's heart.

"So, has StarClan decided to grace you with their presence, Sagepool?" He took in a deep sniff of her den and headed towards the nest that was rarely used for real patients.

"Not tonight." She seated herself in her own nest.

"I will never understand StarClan." Brindlestar shook his head as he found his favourite warm-spot on the nest. "I'm not sure how much they understand themselves. With all this secrecy they share between the living and the dead, I wonder if they know what they're doing."

This was her good morning and her hello from Brindlestar. Between both the leader and her fellow friend they always found it interesting on how the medicine cat of a clan was refused by StarClan. Through her mentor she received her name and that was it. For many moons it was simple in her mind that before she witnessed anything, StarClan could just be hallucination for the other clan members.

Brindlestar continued, snuggling himself into the fresh moss, "I think they just want to be sure they are giving you the best of who they are. They're probably all sitting around a heaping pile of prey and rehearsing something special. Think of all those cats, talking about how wonderful you are while they stuff themselves silly."

Brindlestar's stomach rumbled and he slowly sat up. "I better go hurry up the patrols so we can all eat."

"You mean so you can stuff yourself silly," Sagepool pointed out.

He nodded truthfully and batted her on the nose again before leaving her in peace. Making herself busy, she turned around and started to paw through her pathetic herb supply. She was left with a paw of poppy seeds, scattered and dried broken leaves and the overall nook where she kept the herbs seeping the rest of her den with the powerful scent of old lavender.

She opened her mouth and look in a deep breath of the soothing herb, but she choked at a very musty and disgusting smell. Something small and slimy pressed into her side and purred. She looked down to see Rabbitkit, head to toe in mud. Her nose wrinkled and she sneezed in his direction. It didn't faze the muddy cat.

"Hi Sagepool!" Rabbitkit's tail bounced happily with him as he proudly displayed the mess that he was.

"What in the world—Rabbitkit, what happened to you?" She took a step back and felt the dirt come with her flank as she tried to move away from him.

He just got closer again and rubbed into her. "I was playing with Foxkit at the dirtplace!"

"Great StarClan!" She gagged, trying to back away from him again.

This time of year with the rain starting to come in during the night, the dirt place was mixed in with mud as well with other things. Sagepool sniffed her flank and took a brave moment to pull herself together.

"What's wrong?" Asked Rabbitkit.

"Rabbitkit, never come into my den like that again. It's disgusting." She pressed herself to the side of her den like a badger had just decided to pay welcome.

Rabbitkit's tail drooped as he looked down at his muddy pelt, "You don't like it?"

He let his tongue hang out and looked around himself for where to clear his failed present first.

"Don't lick it. Rabbitkit, please just don't lick it. Go out and clean yourself off. For StarClan sake, don't lick it off. Go and get your mother to bring you to a stream to wash off."

She would much rather push the burden of _that_ onto another cat. Rabbitkit dragged himself to the front of the den with a defeated looked back to Sagepool.

"You really don't like it?" He asked.

"Rabbitkit, you smell like a walking fox-den. You're going to stink up the entire camp. Go wash off and come back in here later when you smell decent." She rolled her eyes and turned away to solve the problem with the mud concoction on her pelt.

Her nose prickled like it was on fire as she spotted Rabbitkit was standing next to her again.

"Do you still like me?" He asked.

She looked down at him, getting ready to claw her own nose off as he bored his big, doe eyes into her with the look of a cat who could never be truly happy again. She sighed and licked one of his ears in comfort, instantly regretting it.

"I still like you, Rabbitkit. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

* * *

Soon warriors of all shapes, sizes and colours were padded into camp side by side. Some in pairs and some in groups of three. Everyone was chatting under mouthfuls of prey. Newleaf was never harsh, newleaf was a generous and giving time that the clan was happy to be around for after a safe, and forgiving leaf-bare. The clan would eat well with the growth of lush nature in DawnClan's territory. Whitewillow could be sure of that.

She said farewell to Mouseflight and Leafberry and dropped her share of prey into the pile. She managed to escape the morning with a decent amount of food. From the pile, she took a plump vole and marched off towards the elder's den, where the clan elder, Short-tail, was waiting with hungry eyes.

"Can you walk any slower?" He barked to her.

She panicked a sorry and sped up to a trot, passing by the clan's morning rush to get back to bed, share tongues, or share the more resent gossip.

A yowl shrieked from the other end of the clan, the rush going into full silence as Loudheart pushed through the entrance gripping onto Lionfur's flank as she was assisted by Sootfur to drag the heavy golden tom through the entrance. Whitewillow dropped the vole a few tail lengths from Short-tail into the dirt and bolted to her brother's side.

"What happened?" She asked, watching as he pushed himself to his feet and shook himself.

Loudheart was panting, "I don't know, he just fell and couldn't get up. We think he tripped on a root or something."

The clan was quickly around Lionfur, asking the tom if he needed anything. Very quickly, a swish of a grey tabby's tail pushed the crowd apart as she snapped at Loudheart in her medicinally trained voice to bring him into her den. Sagepool looked almost excited to be able to have a patient to heal.

Whitewillow followed her into the den, making it very tight fitting when Loudheart followed as well. The she-cats' attention definitely did not look like it was dampening Lionfur's spirits as he slouched into a nest. Whitewillow scented blood, but she couldn't see it right away, which was good. Her eyes were closed tightly which assisted to the mystery of not wanting to see said blood.

"Loudheart, I'm sorry but I don't have many herbs. I have poppy seeds, but I will need some cobwebs to sooth the blood flow. I'll be back" Sagepool brushed against Whitewillow and left her den.

Slowly Whitewillow peeped her eyes open to look at the damage. Looking at Lionfur, he was scratched. Immediately her reaction was to assume he had been flipped inside out from a fall and she let out a good and long sigh before seating herself down. He was still a cat. One whole cat with ears and everything. He was just scratched.

"Will you be alright?" Loudheart enquired, stroking her tail along his back.

He nodded and turned his head to his dear sister, his eyes sparkling with amusement amongst his discomfort. A play-tom if she had ever seen one, Whitewillow purred to him.

"Maybe I should go and look for Brindlestar and tell him what happened. I didn't see him when we were patrolling. Perhaps he slept in again and he's still in camp." Loudheart left the den in her own hurried way.

Whitewillow huffed angrily, "What's the meaning of falling on purpose like that?"

She assumed it was some she-cat trick. One of his many brilliant plans to impress the clan's she-cat majority and get himself a mate. It wasn't far from what he would do, or what he had ever tried to do.

"I didn't. I really did fall." He exclaimed.

She swished her tail, "Then you just _happened _to be enjoying Loudheart's company a little too much then, weren't you? Honestly Lionfur, you've done mouse-brained things before for her."

"No really, I didn't mean to fall down this time. I don't know what happened. One minute I was speeding after a squirrel and the next minute I'm being dragged to camp by Sootfur and Loudheart."

Sagepool padded into the den, clamping fresh cobwebs in her teeth. Dead spiders and all were still attached. She placed them down and started to hunt for the little scratches on Lionfur's body.

"Alright, I'm putting cobwebs on you this time, Lionfur. Although next time you fall over for Loudheart, I'm making your patch up your own wounds. StarClan knows that you'd jump off a cliff to try to impress her."

He turned around to glare at Sagepool, "I was not trying to impress Loudheart. I fell."

"Lionfur," Sagepool mused, "Honestly, if you could be mates with Silverpelt, you would. Only when hedgehogs fly will I believe that you didn't do this on purpose. You have the whole clan in uproar like you just lost your hind legs."

Sagepool pressed the fresh webs to his wounds and he winced at the obvious pressure she added to them just to teach him a lesson about taking advantage of the deputy's excitable personality in times to be official and helpful.

"You get one poppy seed and I want you to go and take a nap. After that you're free to run around and do anything you want." Sagepool let him lap up the singular seed and he left the den annoyed.

Sagepool cocked her head to Whitewillow, "Want to go hunting for herbs with me?"

"I would love to." Whitewillow purred to her.

She could always count on the friend who knew her brother's shenanigans as well as she did.


	2. Chapter Two

A Warrior In Her Bloodline

**Two**

"Have you ever wondered what the cats of StarClan do? No conflict, no worries or anything that we

have to deal with." Whitewillow marched down a large rotting log as she scented and chatted.

"The only excitement they get is telling new and vague prophecies to the medicine cats. Of course, when they choose it to be necessary" Sagepool pointed out.

"Do you remember the old kit-tale we use to be told? The elders never could agree on the details. It usually rotated between dawn, dusk, water and fire saving the clans. Honestly, who in the world would want FireClan to save us?"

Sagepool purred her agreement as she dug her teeth around the lush new growth of a lavender plant. Spitting aside its strong taste, she stuck her nose in the air to scent out any more of the calming plant. She looked over a patch of bracken, where an untouched plant resided. Feeling she had no obligation to go into the thorns, she flicked her tail for Whitewillow to do it for her.

"You know," Whitewillow pushed into the bracken, finding some irony in getting thorns in her pelt for the herbs, "I think we should make up our own brave warrior story. Something that will teach the kits good morals and something that the Elders can bicker about the details with. How about a strong, courageous leader named Whitestar?"

Sagepool caught glimpse of Whitewillow's blue-grey pelt as it bobbed up and down while trying to snap the thick stems. Suddenly the warrior's ears turned direction and she went bolting out of the bracken a hundred tail lengths a heartbeat.

"I've got it. I've got it!" The warrior circled Sagepool around the trees in a hysterical sort of way.

There was a loud and painful crash. Twigs and branches went flying as Whitewillow hit to ground with a thud as he hind leg caught around the rotting log. A very traumatized mouse that was reevaluating its life decisions scurried by and disappeared in the forest's foliage.

Whitewillow groaned, "Did I catch it?"

Sagepool jogged to her friend and looked her over. Conveniently being a medicine cat and conveniently being a medicine cat who was marching around the large forest territories with bundles of herbs was working out for the greater good. Unfortunately, Whitewillow's injuries were not herb-worthy. There was nothing but a splinter of a scratch on her snout.

"I think you will live for another sunrise," Sagepool purred as she nudged Whitewillow's flank.

Whitewillow attempted to angle a swipe with her tongue at the wound. "First Lionfur fell, now I'm falling. What do you think it means, Sagepool? Is it an omen from the all mighty StarClan?"

"StarClan is probably telling you to stop taking after your brother's habits before you go tom-crazy."

Whitewillow snorted her superiority and marched off into the bracken to fulfill her original lavender duty.

"How about this," Sagepool said as she stalked around the small patch of DawnClan territory for herbs, "Whitestar, the fierce warrior of ancient Dawnclan receives an omen. This omen shrouds her with the trial after trial to prove her worth. Really, StarClan was just trying to warn her of her on coordination problems."

"Hey!" Whitewillow propped her head up through the bracken, "Watch it, healer. I'm trained to take ears off."

"You aren't a leader. However, the great and ancient Whitestar is. Or was, it depends on if the story ever becomes forever a generation long story in the clans."

"Save it for Short-tail, mousebrain."

Whitewillow dropped the herbs and stuck her nose in the air, "I smell Redsky."

Redsky, a young warrior broke through the trees and took a panicked skid to a stop in front of the two she-cats. He took a moment to pull himself together, taking in a few deep breaths and flattening his cinnamon pelt.

"FireClan is at the border. Their trying to pick a fight with us. I have to go and tell Brindlestar."

He ran off, no time for explanation—only for running. Sagepool exchanged glanced with Whitewillow and they pushed their collected herbs by the rotting log and ran off in the opposite direction together.

Bordering DawnClan, FireClan stood by a stream that could be no longer than a few tail lengths wide. Many water ways that were shaped unlike the main river running through the clans cut through the territories. Across this small path of water stood three FireClan cats hissing and spitting just how amazing they thought they really were.

"Look here, DawnClan brought their medicine cat along just so she can put you back together when I'm done with you." Reedclaws hissed across the water.

Greystep was the only cat at the border, until he turned his head to see his two clan-mates arriving.

"All talk and no play," He sighed to Whitewillow and Sagepool drawlingly, "These fire-breaths aren't as active to sink their claws into our throats as I remember."

Blackwing snarled behind Reedclaws. Following behind him was a senior apprentice named Hazelpaw, who looked quite embarrassed to be there. Although she let out a few defensive nods and snarls too, it looked more or less she did it because otherwise she might look like some sort of soft-paw.

"I'll make you eat those words, elder!" Reedclaws hissed back.

"I doubt it. As soon as you step onto out border, we will out number the three of you. Remember that DawnClan is always watching when you are all curled up in your nests catching butterflies." Again, Greystep turned his head to see Brindlestar emerging from the foliage with Loudheart and Redsky.

"Why in StarClan do we need so many cats here?" Brindlestar asked to practically half of his clan.

"See?" Redsky bounced excitedly towards the FireClan bluffers.

Brindlestar sighed, "What started this fight?"

"Him." Reedclaws glared to Greystep, "He insulted our leader."

"White did he say?" Whitewillow asked.

The FireClan deputy faultered and looked to Blackwing for help. The two shared a silent argument between them until Blackwing stepped forward and looked around at the other clan like he was admitting to something which took him an awful amount of courage.

Blackwing looked nervously at DawnClan, his fur bristling as he said, "He referred to Owlstar as Fatstar."

The DawnClan cats all snicked and Greystep sat up just a little taller with pride for his naming abilities towards the other clans. Moons too old to be an effective warrior, he valued his fighting skills in his name calling and looking a lot wiser than every-cat else.

"To be honest," Said Redsky, "He has been looking a little chubby lately."

"Fatstar—I mean Owlstar—is not fat!" Blackwing screeched.

Reedclaws sneered to the DawnClan leader, "If anything, Brindlestar should be named Fatstar."

"Excuse me!" Whitewillow fluffed up to full potential, "I'm not the one with the leader with a rump that's bigger than all of rock-place."

Sagepool and Hazelpaw made eye contact while sharing the same embarrassed and amused bystander glances.

"Quit it!" Loudheart stepped forward, bristling in frustration, "Every time you come down here for patrol we end up fighting. Now why can't we all get along and forget this whole thing happened?"

"You stepped near our border." Reedclaws hissed, "We're allowed to be angry if you could potentially cross the border and stuff yourselves with our prey."

"With the way Fatstar is eating, I'm surprised you have prey on your border," Redsky commented.

Redsky and Whitewillow exchanged glances congratulating the tom on his well thought out comeback.

"It doesn't matter who has the fatter leader," Loudheart interjected with a dirty look to her warriors and an offended sound from Brindlestar, "Let's just part ways and forget this ever happened. We're not on your border and we're here patrolling for the same reasons that you are."

After a few more remarks under FireClan's breath about the size of Brindlestar's rump, they parted and walked down further their border in hopes that Duskclan would be on the other end to complain to. DawnClan cats gathering all turned to scold Greystep for creating conflict, but the old tom was fast asleep where he sat.


End file.
